Headteacher’s Welcome Message

On behalf of the Governors, staff, pupils and myself, I would like to welcome you to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Pontefract.  Our website is designed to give you a flavour of the vibrant life of our school and the quality education that we strive to deliver. We believe that our website is an essential tool in celebrating the incredible activities that take place at our wonderful school. It is also a vital tool in communicating with parents, carers and visitors, as well as providing information about the various policies, practices and procedures in our school. We hope that you find the information useful. If you require further information about any aspect of our website, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our school is a primary school, set in the heart of the town of Pontefract. We are proud of our school community and value the contribution that we make to the local area. We are a one form entry from Reception to Year 6. We offer Nursery for children who are 3 years of age, including 30 hour provision.  The setting is very welcoming; please look at some of the photographs on our nursery page.

High expectations permeate throughout our school, and we truly believe in quality, dedication and aspirational thinking in all areas of our establishment. We believe in our children and their futures and encourage them to strive for greatness through self-belief and determination.  When any visitor tours our school they comment on our happy, inquisitive children who are highly respectful and engaged in their learning in a calm and stimulating environment. We are all immensely proud of our school and are committed to providing the very best possible education for all of our children.

At St Joseph’s, we believe that children should be curious about their learning.  Through our engaging curriculum, we ensure that children can foster a passion for learning that will help to develop high aspirations and a lifetime of memories. We believe in ensuring that children receive a well-rounded curriculum; where individual talents can be spotted and nurtured to ensure that all children experience success and reach their full potential.

The school has a dedicated team that works hard to reach high standards in everything we do and this is further embedded through our successful relationships with parents, the local community and the other schools within the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust. We pride ourselves on being outward facing as a school.  We firmly believe that education is a partnership between home and school and regard you as an active partner in your child’s education and value your interest and support.

I strive to lead by example. Having been at our school for five years, I feel that in my sixth year of headship I am in a strong position to take our school forward. As a former pupil at St Joseph’s myself I know first-hand how the strong foundation this school provides can support you in life.  I feel privileged to lead a team of professional, talented and dedicated staff who share my vision and work ethic. We work as a committed team who provide well planned, inspiring lessons and activities.  A wide range of curriculum enrichment activities are also provided to enhance our children’s learning.

We have a supportive and hard working group of governors who are skilled in a range of areas.  Governors and staff work together to provide our children with the very best learning opportunities. Our governors work hard to achieve a working knowledge of our priorities and practices.

We believe that school should be a happy, caring, spiritual, respectful and hardworking environment, in which all staff should utilise their skills to enable the children in their care to recognise their true potential and talents. As a Catholic community, we endeavour to celebrate the successes of our children in all areas of school life. We work hard to ensure that we are a central part of the Catholic community of St Joseph’s parish, and have a close relationship with our Parish Priest, Canon Timothy Wiley. There is a strong emphasis on the Catholic faith at St. Joseph’s and our children are taught to live by the virtues so their ‘character’ can flourish as a whole person.

Whilst it is my priority that the education our children receive here will enable them to achieve their academic potential and progress confidently into the next phase of their education, it is also part of my vision that all our children are filled with positive experiences and that they are aware of the endless possibilities that await them.  Underpinning the above is my commitment to ensure that the children of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School possess the values that enable them to live well in society and prepare them to deal effectively with the modern world.

Best Wishes,

Mrs Velayudhan Tomlin

Headteacher